tunnelfly 0 #1 May 15, 2005 There is a "World Championship of Vertical Wind Tunnels" taking place next Friday at the Special Event Showcase in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Does anyone know, which tunnel they'll be flying on? There are pics and video of X-Treme Air (Lifted Ent.) on the webpage, but I guess VR Skydiving would be closer... Anyway, I'll keep my fingers crossed for our swiss representatives, Dave and Mike. No.1 reason NOT to be an astronaut: ...You can't drink beer at zero gravity... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodyflight.Net 0 #2 May 15, 2005 Hey! Good to hear from you.. Yes, they will be using VR Skydiving. It's not REALLY a championship, for several reasons, mainly, it's a showcase for an event coordinator named Tim John. Event planners, coordinators for colleges, corporate biz, etc will show up, take a look at the activities he offers and HOPEFULLY book some of them right on the spot. There are only a few participants at this point, it's been poorly advertised. SUPPOSEDLY there will be footage taped for some TV show spot.. but most likely that just means the local news. Even cooler than the whole event is the Convention Center it's being held at... amazing architecture, etc!! Pink Suits, Blue Skies & Fast Air, Dawn Suiter PMTS #3 You could be Next! Join @ A.A.C. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodyflight.Net 0 #3 May 21, 2005 I'm posting this for your information, it showed up in my email last night... there are several BLATENT lies in this article but hey.. and I just absolutely HATE how Tim John likes to spin wind tunnel flying as Xtreme & Lifethreatening!!! I totally and completely disagree.. What I don't get mostly is why he would discount his previous world championship held a couple years ago... talk about a strange move for someone trying to gain credibility in the industry... ********************************8 Vertical wind tunnel competition blows into Grand Rapids Friday, May 20, 2005 By Barbara Beal Schmid The Grand Rapids Press Crank up a DC-3 airplane propeller that blasts a column of air vertically into the sky. Toss in a few gonzo athletes. And let the games begin. The X-Treme Air World Championships take place today, at Ah-Nab-Awan Park in downtown Grand Rapids. It will be the first vertical wind tunnel competition on the planet, said event director Tim John, owner of TjohnE Productions in Grand Rapids, producing the event. "We have the best flyers coming in," John said. "There still aren't that many world class wind tunnelers. These young guys are getting in on the ground floor of this sport, kind of like Tony Hawk did for skateboarding." So if you thought wind tunnels were only used to test the aerodynamics of cars, think again. Once a wind tunnel is turned vertically, it becomes an invisible playground for daring athletes who want to fly. Think Wesley Snipes in the film, "Drop Zone," and you get the idea. Resident flyer Matthew Kornoely of Grand Rapids, one of seven competitors in the X-Treme Air World Championships, first leaned into a wind tunnel nine years ago. Since then, he's also taken up sky diving to help fuel his desire to fly through the air. "I had no idea how to fly at the time," Kornoely said of his first wind tunnel experience. "It was so fast and it kind of blows you around. You don't know what to expect the first time you try it. Now I've honed my skills down and I don't have that crazy, out-of-control thing going. I'm more focused. "When I'm in a wind tunnel, I'm training to be a better sky diver. The wind tunnel recreates the free fall aspect of sky diving before you deploy your canopy. You're flipping and spinning and twisting and going crazy." The other competitors are: Dave Utz, Switzerland; Wes Evans, Montgomery, Ala.; Jason Walker, Morristown, Tenn.; Mike Immer, Switzerland; Brandon Blowers, Boone, N.C. and Keith Kimbrough, Morristown, Tenn. During the competition, each athlete will have two runs in the wind tunnel, where they will perform acrobatic tricks 40 feet in the air. The top two finalists will then compete for the $1,500 first prize. Judges are the flyers themselves: Gary Speer of Flyaway Indoor Skydiving in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Las Vegas, and Brett Sisson, owner of Wind, Waves and Wheels in Grand Rapids. A professional film crew will also be on hand to record the event. "They do a lot of the same tricks as sky divers," John said. "But when you jump out of an airplane, you have the whole sky. It's much more difficult when you have to stay within a tunnel of air." The free festivities at Ah-Nab-Awan Park will begin at 6 p.m. with entertainment by The ARK Band, a Reggae band from St. Lucia. The Warp Brothers, a techno-metal band from Germany, is the second act. The X-Treme Air World Championships begin at 7:30 p.m. and will last approximately an hour. "We'll climb onto this giant inflatable donut and the air will start blowing and we'll step in there," Kornoely said. "That's a scary thing in itself. A lot of stationary wind tunnels have walls that you can kick off of or bump into. In this competition we won't have any support around us, so we're open to the sky. It's very dangerous." ****************** Posted from http://www.mlive.com/sports/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1116600301268030.xml ****************** Tim was very disappointed that John didn't go this time.. he wanted to bill him as the "old timer" of the sport, and wanted to put him up against the younger guys.. I wasn't in support of this at all, that combined with other reasons, and John didn't attend.. I sure hope Wes won.. he certainly deserves it after placing 3rd in the last one!! Pink Suits, Blue Skies & Fast Air, Dawn Suiter PMTS #3 You could be Next! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tunnelfly 0 #4 May 21, 2005 Thanks Dawn, for the information. But as I heard, Wes didn't make it .. No.1 reason NOT to be an astronaut: ...You can't drink beer at zero gravity... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodyflight.Net 0 #5 May 21, 2005 End result summary: 6 competitors.. 1st place: Dave Utz 2nd place: Keith Kimbrough of Flyaway PF 3d place: Wes Evens of Flyaway PF WAY TO GO GUYS!!! Andy.. is Dave from Bodyflying AG??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paulipod 0 #6 May 22, 2005 QuoteAndy.. is Dave from Bodyflying AG??? I know I am not Andy - but... yes Dave is. He's not half bad.... Ive shown him a trick or too (I wish) Bodyflight Bedford www.bodyflight.co.uk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodyflight.Net 0 #7 May 22, 2005 DUH!!! I screwed up the winning order of the guys.. (or so I'm told) OFFICIAL CORRECTION 1st place: Dave Utz of Bodyflying AG 2nd place: Wes Evens of Flyaway PF 3d place: Keith Kimbrough of Flyaway PF Pink Suits, Blue Skies & Fast Air, Dawn Suiter PMTS #3 You could be Next! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
